Development programme for emerging contractors begins

This week, 55 small Western Cape construction business owners began the 10-month Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) Contractor Development Programme (CDP) training. The course is accredited by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). Training topics include enterprise development, building a construction site, and applying innovative safety principles to the site.

Participants are contractors with registered construction businesses, active in the industry for at least two years, with a Level 1 or 2 Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) rating. They will be attending one week of training in Malmesbury a month over a period of 10 months.

The modular course design makes it possible for participants to receive the benefit of intensive training for a week every month, and to spend the remaining three weeks of the month actively managing their businesses. Assessment will take place through monthly written tests, as well as on the basis of a portfolio of evidence (POE) submitted at the end of the course. The POE has the added benefit of encouraging participants to learn to file their documents in a clear and structured way.

This initiative has opened doors for some participants over the years through subcontracting opportunities on major government construction projects. Nine contractors from Knysna who completed the CDP course in 2017 are expected to be working on Garden Route Rebuild Initiative infrastructure projects.

DTPW will continue to facilitate the development of emerging enterprises in the construction industry through skills training and business enhancement initiatives. This will help emerging contractors to compete effectively and independently in the open market.